DENVER'S EPA OFFICE ISSUED 197 ACTIONS

The Environmental Protection Agency's Denver office issued a record 197 enforcement actions for environmental violations in its six-state region in fiscal 1988, the agency announced.

EPA Deputy Regional Administrator Jack McGraw said Thursday there also were 28 referrals to the justice department for civil litigation and a record 17 administrative orders issued by EPA's Superfund branch.McGraw said assessed penalties totaled nearly $1 million in Region 8, made up of Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

"Our particularly noteworthy accomplishments this year include activities leading to successful agreements at Salt Lake City's Central Valley Wastewater plant, Denver's Lowry Landfill, Louisiana Pacific in Kremmling, Colorado, and many others," he said.

In a written release, EPA officials also included in a list of 1988 accomplishments: resolving an enforcement dispute over drinking water safety in Sheridan, Wyo.; settling a case involving Grace Petroleum and the underground injection of hazardous wastes in Montana; convicting the Denver-based Protex Co. of knowingly exposing workers to hazardous substances, and settling an asbestos-related case against Rocky Mountain TLC in Meeker.